A Compromise to Betterment
by waiting4amadmanwithabox
Summary: Harry sees James raping Sev in his pensieve and finally accepts why Sev hates him, so he shares what his uncle does to him, sort of a one shot? Warnings: Spoilers for Book 5, Manipulative Dumbledore, Child Abuse, Semi graphic rape scenes, possible slash (based on how you interpret the ending), semi-professor-knocks-student-around. Oh, and some swearing. And Good!Hermione, good!Ron


**Title: Compromise to Betterment**

**Date: 1/3/13**

**Summary: Harry sees James raping Sev in his pensieve and finally accepts why Sev hates him, so he shares what his uncle does to him, sort of a one shot?**

**Warnings: Spoilers for Book 5, Manipulative Dumbledore, Child Abuse, Semi graphic rape scenes, possible slash (based on how you interpret the ending), semi-professor-knocks-student-around. Oh, and some swearing. And Good!Hermione, good!Ron**

**Rating: NC-17, or M, just in case.**

**Oh, and the Disclaimer. I am dark haired, and rather poor. If I honestly was J.K. Rowling, I would be blonde, rich, and probably not wasting my time on a website entitled ****_fanfiction._**

**AN: I wrote this pondering the last line from when Harry sneaks into Snape's Pensieve in Book 5; Chapter 28. The Line is: "****_Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?' But whether James really did take off Snape's pants, Harry never found out."_**

**I never particularly liked James Potter even before Book 5, so I decided to take liberties with James. And I am a big Snape fan, and feel that James and Sirius were utter pricks. Plus, I find writing this sort of thing is theurapeutic for me. **

_ He [Harry] was at the office door when he saw it: a patch of shivering light dancing on the doorframe. He stopped, and stood looking at it, reminded of something . . . then he remembered: it was a little like the lights he had seen in his dream last night, the lights n the second room he had walked through on his journey through the Department of Mysteries._

_ He turned around. The light was coming from the Pensieve sitting on Snape's desk. The silver-white contents were ebbing and swirling within. Snape's thoughts . . . things he did not want Harry to see if he broke through Snape's defences accidentally . . ._

_ Harry gazed at the Pensieve, curiosity welling inside him . . . what was it that Snape was so keen to hide from Harry?_

_ The silvery lights shivered on the wall . . . Harry took two steps towards the desk, thinking hard. Could it possibly be information about the Department of Mysteries that Snape was determined to keep from him?_

_ He walked the remaining few feet to the Pensieve and stood over it, gazing into its depths. He hesitated, listening, then pulled out his wand again. The office and the corridor beyond were completely silent. He gave the contents of the Pensieve a small prod with the end of his wand._

_ The silvery stuff within began to swirl very fast. Harry leaned forwards over it and saw that it had become transparent. He was, once again, looking down into a room as though through a circular window in the ceiling . . . in fact, unless he was much mistaken, he was looking down into the Great Hall._

_ His breath was actually fogging the surface of Snape's thoughts . . . his brain seemed to be in limbo . . . it would be insane to do the thing he was so strongly tempted to do . . . he was trembling . . . Snape could be back at any moment . . . but Harry thought of Cho's anger, of Malfoy's jeering face, and a reckless daring seized him._

_ He took a great gulp of breath, and plunged his face into the surface of Snape's thoughts. At once, the floor of the office lurched, tipping Harry head-first into the Pensieve . . ._

_ He was falling through cold blackness, spinning furiously as he went, and then - '_

_ ...'This'll liven you up, Padfoot,' said James quietly. 'Look who it is' Sirius's head turned. He became very still, like a dog that has scented a rabbit._

_ 'Excellent,' he said softly. 'Snivellus.'_

_ Harry turned to see what Sirius was looking at..._

_ 'All right, Snivellus?' said James loudly._

_ Snape reacted so fast it was as though he had been expecting an attack: dropping his bag, he plunged his hand inside his robes and his wand was halfway into the air when James shouted, 'Expelliarmus!'_

_ Snape's wand flew twelve feet into the air and fell with a little thud in the grass behind him. Sirius let out a bark of laughter._

_ 'Impedimenta!' he said, pointing his wand at Snape, who was knocked off his feet halfway through a dive towards his own fallen wand._

_ Students all around had turned to watch. Some of them had got to their feet and were edging nearer. Some looked apprehensive, others entertained._

_ Snape lay panting on the ground. James and Sirius advanced on him, wands raised, James glancing over his shoulder at the girls at the water's edge as he went. Wormtail was on his feet now, watching hungrily, edging around Lupin to get a clearer view._

_ 'How'd the exam go, Snivelly?' said James._

_ 'I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment,' said Sirius viciously. There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word.'_

_ Several people watching laughed; Snape was clearly unpopular. Wormtail sniggered shrilly. Snape was trying to get up, but the jinx was still operating on him; he was struggling, as though bound by invisible ropes._

_ 'You - wait,' he panted, staring up at James with an expression of purest loathing, 'you - wait!'_

_ 'Wait for what?' said Sirius coolly. 'What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?'_

_ Snape let out a stream of mixed swear words and hexes, but with his wand ten feet away nothing happened._

_ 'Wash out your mouth,' said James coldly. 'Scourgify!'_

_ Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him - '_

_ 'Leave him ALONE!'_

_ James and Sirius looked round. James's free hand immediately jumped to his hair._

_ It was one of the girls from the lake edge. She had thick, dark red hair that fell to her shoulders, and startlingly green almond-shaped eyes - Harry's eyes._

_ Harry's mother._

_ 'All right, Evans?' said James, and the tone of his voice was suddenly pleasant, deeper, more mature._

_ 'Leave him alone,' Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. 'What's he done to you?'_

_ 'Well,' said James, appearing to deliberate the point, 'it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean . . .'_

_ Many of the surrounding students laughed, Sirius and Wormtail included, but Lupin, still apparently intent on his book, didn't, and nor did Lily._

_ 'You think you're funny,' she said coldly. 'But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone.'_

_ 'I will if you go out with me, Evans,' said James quickly. 'Go on . . . go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again.'_

_ Behind him, the Impediment Jinx was wearing off. Snape was beginning to inch towards his fallen wand, spitting out soapsuds as he crawled._

_ 'I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid,' said Lily._

_ 'Bad luck, Prongs,' said Sirius briskly, and turned back to Snape. 'OI!'_

_ But too late; Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James's face, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled about: a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside-down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants._

_ Many people in the small crowd cheered; Sirius, James and Wormtail roared with laughter._

_ Lily, whose furious expression had twitched for an instant as though she was going to smile, said, 'Let him down!'_

_ 'Certainly,' said James and he jerked his wand upwards; Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, 'Petrificus Totalus!' and Snape keeled over again, rigid as a board._

_ 'LEAVE HIM ALONE!' Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now. James and Sirius eyed it warily._

_ 'Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you,' said James earnestly._

_ Take the curse off him, then!'_

_ James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the counter-curse._

_ There you go,' he said, as Snape struggled to his feet. 'You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus - '_

_ 'I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!'_

_ Lily blinked._

_ 'Fine,' she said coolly. 'I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus.'_

_ 'Apologise to Evans!' James roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him._

_ 'I don't want you to make him apologise,' Lily shouted, rounding on James. 'You're as bad as he is.'_

_ 'What?' yelped James. 'I'd NEVER call you a - you-know-what!'_

_ 'Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can - I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK.'_

_ She turned on her heel and hurried away._

_ 'Evans!' James shouted after her. 'Hey, EVANS!'_

_ But she didn't look back._

_ 'What is it with her?' said James, trying and failing to look as though this was a throwaway question of no real importance to him._

_ 'Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate,' said Sirius._

_ 'Right,' said James, who looked furious now, 'right - '_

_ There was another flash of light, and Snape was once again hanging upside-down in the air._

_ 'Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?'_

_ But whether James really did take off Snape's pants, Harry never found out. A hand had closed tight over his upper arm, closed with a pincer-like grip. Wincing, Harry looked round to see who had hold of him, and saw, with a thrill of horror, a fully grown, adult-sized Snape standing right beside him, white with rage._

_ 'Having fun?'_

_ Harry felt himself rising into the air; the summer's day evaporated around him; he was floating upwards through icy blackness, Snape's hand still tight upon his upper arm. Then, with a swooping feeling as though he had turned head-over-heels in midair, his feet hit the stone floor of Snape's dungeon and he was standing again beside the Pensieve on Snape's desk in the shadowy, present-day Potion master's study._

_ 'So,' said Snape, gripping Harry's arm so tightly Harry's hand was starting to feel numb. 'So . . . been enjoying yourself, Potter?'_

_ 'N-no,' said Harry, trying to free his arm._

_ It was scary: Snape's lips were shaking, his face was white, his teeth were bared._

_ 'Amusing man, your father, wasn't he?' said Snape, shaking Harry so hard his glasses slipped down his nose._

_ 'I - didn't - '_

_ Snape threw Harry from him with all his might. Harry fell hard on to the dungeon floor._

_ 'You will not repeat what you saw to anybody!' Snape bellowed._

_ 'No,' said Harry, getting to his feet as far from Snape as he could. 'No, of course I w-" (_Snapes Worst Memory - Chapter 28, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, (C) J.K. Rowling)

But unfortunately Snape was still very annoyed, and pushed Harry when he got too close. Harry's arms windmilled for a moment, and then he fell backwards, landing back in the bloody pensieve. The memory picked up from where it had dropped off.

_James had pulled off Snape's trousers and underwear and was lightly touching him. _

_"Not bad for a slimy Slytherin, Snape! Maybe we can have some fun with this anyway." _

_"No!" Harry shouted and tried to pull James off, but his father had already unzipped his trousers, and was easing his way into the struggling Slytherin. Sirius and Wormtail were cheering him on, and Remus had left. _

_"Not bad, not bad at all, Snivellus," James grunted, and Harry fought the urge to sick up. He wanted out, he didn't want to watch his father rape his professor, he didn't want to know that his father was as bad as Uncle Vernon. _

Suddenly he felt an arm grab him and pull him out, and he lay curled up on his side on the dungeon floor.

"POTTER!" Snape roared, but stopped when he heard Harry's whisper.

"Professor, please don't."

It was spoken so softly that Severus almost thought he'd imagined it, then Potter straightened.

"I had no idea my father did that to you, and I completely understand why you've always hated me, Professor. To make up for what I did, if you show me how to use the pensieve, I will show you my worst memory."

"And what would that be Mr. Potter? Not getting the latest broom?"

"Hardly sir." Harry's voice trembled. "How about you just watch it?"

"Very well." Snape knew nothing could compare to what _Potter _had just seen, but he figured he could use the memory for blackmail material later. He stalked forward and placed his wand on Harry's temple.

"Think of the memory, and I'll take it out." A silver strand came attached to Snape's wand, and he placed it in the pensieve. He took a step towards it, and glanced at Harry. "Come along Potter." Harry shakingly stood, and dove into the stone basin.

_A 7 year old Harry was staring at Dudley, who was throwing another fit._

_"I WANT THE FOOD! GIVE ME THE FREAK'S FOOD!" He screamed. Petunia reached over, and grabbed Harry's meager plate of food. _

_"But Aunt Petunia, I haven't had anything for 3 days. Can't I have some food, please? I'm really hungry." Harry spoke softly._

_SLAP! Echoed through the room and Harry grabbed his cheek._

_ "If Dudley wants it, he gets it! You don't deserve our hard earned food, you worthless freak! Your Uncle will hear about this when you get home!"_

_Severus stared as the day flew by, Harry not getting to eat, doing tons of chores, and finally being shoved into a cupboard. It was an hour later when the door slammed open, and a whale of a man grabbed Harry by the ear. _

_"YOU LITTLE BRAT! I HEARD YOU TRIED TO STEAL FOOD FROM DUDLEY!" Harry shook in fear. _

_"No, I didn't Uncle Vernon, I promise!"_

_"You calling Dudley a LIAR!"_

_"No! No, I'm not! I promise, Uncle Vernon!"_

_"That's it boy! Go upstairs now! You know what room!"_

_Harry ran, upstairs, shaking all the while, with the man following behind. Once they entered what was obviously Vernon Dursley's room, the door was slammed and locked._

_"Strip, freak." Dursley's voice was low, and little Harry trembled._

_"Please Uncle Vernon, not again, please, I'll be good."_

_"I SAID STRIP BOY." Trembling, Harry did as he was told, and Snape watched in horror as a 7 year old boy covered in scars was unveiled, in order for more to be added. _

_"Please sir, I'll be good, please-" The boy obviously knew what was coming, but hoped to avoid it anyway._

_"Oh you'll be good all right," the man snarled, and Severus watched on, as a little boy was forced to suck his uncle off and then was violently raped. _

_"Never call Dudley a liar again boy! And no food for a week!" The man snarled as he stomped out, leaving a broken, bleeding child behind._

_The boy had run out of tears long ago, and so he lay on the floor, silently shaking._

_"I just want to die, why can't I die? Please, please, let me die. Take me away from here!" He whispered, laying on the floor in his blood, naked, and too weak to move. _

Suddenly, Snape and Harry found themselves outside of the pensieve, and on the office floor. Harry was shaking, and pale, and Severus was horrified.

"How old were you?" He whispered.

"Seven." Harry replied.

"Does the Headmaster know?" Severus knew that the man was manipulative, all for the greater good, but if he dared leave a child in that position...

"Yes." Harry murmured. "He says the blood wards are more important."

"Not if your relatives kill you themselves." Harry let out a chuckle.

"Sometimes I think that the Headmaster lets me stay there to prepare me for fighting Voldemort."

"I wouldn't put it past him." It was true. Severus wouldn't put it past the Headmaster, since the man had no concept that his chess pieces were human and had feelings. "I'll see if I can get you out." Harry acknowledged this with a nod. Something had changed between them. Neither would actually mention it, but both realized that the information they had learned about the other, had caused a paradigm shift, which would hopefully be for the better.

"Headmaster, he cannot stay there! They'll kill him." Severus was almost pleading (he would be, if Severus Snape actually _pled_), with the twinkly-eyed fool known as the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Severus, I'm glad you have come to see the boy as something other than James, but he must stay with the bloodwards. His mother's sacrifice keeps him safe."

Severus, rather unfortunately, had expected this sort of answer, but it angered him, nonetheless. "You are a fool if you think him safe, Headmaster." He snarled, and swept out of the room.

In Potions the next day, he requested Potter to stay behind. The rest of the Golden Trio seemed convinced they were needed, and remained as well.

"I believe I requested Mr. Potter, not Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger." He drawled.

"Please sir," Hermione started.

"Whatever you have to say can be said in front of them." Potter declared. Severus searched the boy's face for any sign of insincerity, and when he found none, nodded.

"Can you trust them?"

Potter stared defiantly at him. 'With my life."

"Very well. I spoke to the Headmaster, and he, as expected, is a delusional fool, wearing rose-tinted glasses. But regardless of his wishes, I swore an oath to your mother when you were born to protect you, and I will not allow you to remain there." Severus said. Then Weasley spoke.

"You're talking about the Dursleys, right?" He added a 'Sir' as an afterthought.

"I am."

"Then you got me on your side, Professor." Weasley held out his hand, and after a moment, Professor Snape took it.

"And myself." Granger added, holding her hand out as well. Severus shook it, and looked at Potter, who was staring at his friends in shock.

"So Professor-" Granger spoke. "If the Headmaster won't let Harry leave, what is your plan to get Harry out?"

"Quite simply, Ms. Granger, he and I will vanish. I can train him in private, and he will be safe." Here he turned to Potter. "We have had our differences, Mr. Potter, but I promised your mother to take care of you, and by Merlin, I will."

Harry nodded. "Very well, Professor. What should I do?"

It was two days later when Severus Snape and Harry Potter vanished from the Wizarding World. Opinions and Conspiracy theories ran rampant, accusing Snape and Harry of eloping after an sordid affair, of Snape kidnapping Harry for Dark Potions, of Snape delivering him to Voldemort, but no one actually could tell what happened. Albus Dumbledore maintained he knew where they were, and admitted to himself that maybe Severus Snape had done the right thing, but Harry _was_ needed to defeat Voldemort.

Three years later, Harry Potter appeared with Severus Snape by his side and defeated Voldemort. They stayed long enough to clarify that Severus had not kidnapped Harry, and wasn't torturing him, and to verify the Dark Lord's demise at Harry's hand. They vanished together again, and the only people to hear from the two over the next few decades, were Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, who half-way through that time became Hermione Weasley. Eventually the Wizarding World forgot about their Saviour; who faded into the background, and when he died, Severus was by his side, holding his hand.

**A/N: Like most of my fanfiction, I have ****_no _****idea where this came from (aside from the vicious blood-sucking plot bunnies in my head), but I hope you liked it. Review if you can!**


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